thinking of joining a gym

Mornin' everyone,
I am thinking of joining a gym because i really feel like it would help with weak muscles etc, do any of you go and what do you do? I am not sure how far you can push yourself whilst on VLCD because it says in the CD booklet that you should continue with exercise you already do but not to add any more strenuous stuff or something like that lol. I have never done alot of exercise and although i am a memeber of the gym have only been about 3 times in my life lol. Any advice would be great.

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Hi Busy...I have been going to the gym for the last six week....before that i had not been to the gym since i was at school...I got about 3 times a week and I have been slowly building my fitness levels up....just take your time at first in case you feel lightheaded....Im on ss too so after the gym i try to save a chocolate bar..xx

Hi
Joining a gym is a great idea but bear in mind one gym may have quite a different approach to another even though they all 'look' the same.

You can't push yourself on a VLCD in the way you could if you weren't: you just don't have the carbs going in to provide you with an energy demand at high levels. But work-outs at a gym don't have to be at Olympian levels - although SOME gym professionals seem to think they do.

For example: my sister and I were members of different gyms. My trainer believed in a slow, steady approach with gradual stepping up of levels as your fitness improved. She used a cross training method whereby you began with just 3 minutes on an aerobics machine (rower, bike, treadmill etc) and then you'd do 4 weights machines to allow your heart-rate to gently lower almost to normal. Then you'd do another 3 minutes cardio, then another 4 weights machines etc etc until you'd done your circuit.
When you were finding that routine was no longer much af a challenge, you moved to 1 cardio/3 weights and after that 1 cardio/2 weights and so on.
Ulitmately, you'd end up doing 1 to 1. Then you'd be upping the times on the cardio machines etc. As you can see, this was almost endlessly flexible.

My sister, on the other hand, was pushed to run for 15 minutes straight on a treadmill right from the start and wasn't even allowed to use any resistance machines (weights) for a month. She'd complain that her work-outs were purgatory and she'd feel physically sick afterwards. She lasted 6 months: I went for 2 years straight.

I'd check out your prospective gym and tell them you're on a VLCD and can't do excess cardio work. Don't be bullied into thrashing away at boring routines - they should be varied and interesting or you just wont stick at it.
Resistance training is ESSENTIAL because it tones the muscles that burn the fat (and no - you won't turn into Arnie in drag! ) I'm planning on joining the gym at Uni so we can compare notes!

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